Namibia pushes for fair representation of Africa at the UN
Address issue urgently, Mushelenga says
International relations and cooperation minister Dr Peya Mushelenga urged the United Nations Security Council this week to improve Africa's representation on the council.
International relations and cooperation minister Dr. Peya Mushelenga did not mince his words when he spoke before the United Nations (UN) Security Council in New York on Monday.
"With a large portion of the UN Security Council's agenda relating to Africa, it is essential that the issue of Africa not being represented in the permanent category of the council be urgently addressed," he insisted.
Namibia supports Africa's unified position that the continent should hold a permanent seat on the Security Council, along with two additional temporary seats.
Getting impatient
Mushelenga emphasised the historical injustice done to Africa.
"We cannot continue to delay fulfilling the aspirations of our people, who seek to be seen and heard. Fair geographical representation is a longstanding commitment of the United Nations," he said. The minister noted that while Africa has long been patient, this does not mean the continent agrees with the current state of affairs. Even Africa's patience has its limits, he warned.
"Africa has a growing youth demographic whose level of patience is minimal, especially when their dreams of hope are crushed by the snail's pace at which Security Council reform is being addressed," he cautioned.
He called on the Security Council to restore trust in its relevance by doing what is just. "Let us end the injustice of Africa's exclusion, and let us deliver a Security Council that truly serves humanity fairly and without discrimination," he said.
Voices need to be heard
Mushelenga thanked Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio for the high-level debate on maintaining international peace and security. The discussion on the historical injustice of Africa's representation on the UN Security Council included contributions from Dennis Francis on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago and Sithembile Mbete from the University of Pretoria, among others.
Bio stated that it is unacceptable for the world's leading peace and security body not to have a full-time voice for a continent with well over a billion people. While Africa remains under-represented in global governance structures, it is over-represented in the challenges these structures address, he said. Nearly half of all country-specific or regional conflicts on the council's agenda involve Africa, often exacerbated by greed for Africa's resources, according to the Sierra Leone president.
World peace
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, stated that the cracks in the foundation of the global body, which have been growing since its inception in 1945, are now leading to deadlock and stagnation around today's most pressing crises and can no longer be ignored.
"There can be no world peace without African security," he said, noting that Africa's willingness to contribute to peace is demonstrated by the fact that more than 40% of UN peacekeepers come from African countries. "African countries are often among the first to advocate for peace," he added, but Africa's efforts for peace are not matched by its representation. "African voices, African insights, and African participation must be brought to the forefront of the council's deliberations and actions," Guterres emphasised.
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are permanent members of the Security Council, while Switzerland, Slovenia, South Korea, Malta, Japan, Guyana, and Ecuador, along with Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, are currently temporary members.
"With a large portion of the UN Security Council's agenda relating to Africa, it is essential that the issue of Africa not being represented in the permanent category of the council be urgently addressed," he insisted.
Namibia supports Africa's unified position that the continent should hold a permanent seat on the Security Council, along with two additional temporary seats.
Getting impatient
Mushelenga emphasised the historical injustice done to Africa.
"We cannot continue to delay fulfilling the aspirations of our people, who seek to be seen and heard. Fair geographical representation is a longstanding commitment of the United Nations," he said. The minister noted that while Africa has long been patient, this does not mean the continent agrees with the current state of affairs. Even Africa's patience has its limits, he warned.
"Africa has a growing youth demographic whose level of patience is minimal, especially when their dreams of hope are crushed by the snail's pace at which Security Council reform is being addressed," he cautioned.
He called on the Security Council to restore trust in its relevance by doing what is just. "Let us end the injustice of Africa's exclusion, and let us deliver a Security Council that truly serves humanity fairly and without discrimination," he said.
Voices need to be heard
Mushelenga thanked Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio for the high-level debate on maintaining international peace and security. The discussion on the historical injustice of Africa's representation on the UN Security Council included contributions from Dennis Francis on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago and Sithembile Mbete from the University of Pretoria, among others.
Bio stated that it is unacceptable for the world's leading peace and security body not to have a full-time voice for a continent with well over a billion people. While Africa remains under-represented in global governance structures, it is over-represented in the challenges these structures address, he said. Nearly half of all country-specific or regional conflicts on the council's agenda involve Africa, often exacerbated by greed for Africa's resources, according to the Sierra Leone president.
World peace
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, stated that the cracks in the foundation of the global body, which have been growing since its inception in 1945, are now leading to deadlock and stagnation around today's most pressing crises and can no longer be ignored.
"There can be no world peace without African security," he said, noting that Africa's willingness to contribute to peace is demonstrated by the fact that more than 40% of UN peacekeepers come from African countries. "African countries are often among the first to advocate for peace," he added, but Africa's efforts for peace are not matched by its representation. "African voices, African insights, and African participation must be brought to the forefront of the council's deliberations and actions," Guterres emphasised.
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are permanent members of the Security Council, while Switzerland, Slovenia, South Korea, Malta, Japan, Guyana, and Ecuador, along with Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, are currently temporary members.
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